Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday, 7 October 2026, paid tribute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 25 years in public life, asserting that Modi approaches politics not as a vehicle to power but as an instrument of 'nation building.' Singh made the remarks while addressing the 'Viksit Bharat Sankalp Sabha' in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.

Key Remarks at the Ghaziabad Event

'For PM Modi, the meaning of politics was that politics should not be pursued merely to form a government. Rather, politics should be pursued to build the nation and to build society,' Singh said, addressing the gathering.

The Defence Minister went further, arguing that the very idea of politics had lost its purpose before Modi's rise. 'Before Modi ji came to power, the word politics had lost its meaning and essence. Over the last 12 years, the way PM Modi has given it all to serve the people, he has proven that politics is not just a medium to form the government, rather it is a medium to build the nation,' he said.

Singh on Modi's Work Ethic

Singh offered a personal testimonial about Modi's commitment, drawing on a 25-year acquaintance. 'You will not find any Prime Minister in the world who has not taken a few days off within a year or two or has not gone on a picnic with his family... I have known Prime Minister Modi for the last 25 years, and I can say with confidence that during these years, whether as Chief Minister or Prime Minister, he has not taken a single day off or stopped working for even a single day. This is his greatest quality,' Singh stated.

He linked this personal dedication to the larger national goal, saying India needs precisely this kind of leader to realise the vision of a 'Viksit Bharat' — a developed India — by 2047.

India's Economic Rise Under Modi

Singh highlighted what he described as a dramatic improvement in India's global economic standing over the past 12 years. 'Earlier, India used to be at 11th or 12th position in the world. But under Prime Minister Modi's leadership, India today stands among the top five economies of the world,' he said, adding that he expects India to break into the top three under continued Modi leadership.

Pointing to the global economic turbulence stemming from the West Asia conflict, Singh argued that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government had shielded India's growth momentum. 'While the economies of the major countries and major powers of the world are growing at rates of 2%, 1.5% and 3%, even after such a major crisis emerged globally, India's economy is still growing at a rate of 7.8%. This is not an ordinary achievement. I believe this is a remarkable feat in itself,' he said.

Dig at the Opposition

Singh also took a veiled swipe at Opposition parties, accusing them of manufacturing controversies. 'Today, many political parties are turning non-issues into issues, lying down on the streets, to confuse the people and subsequently gain support,' he said.

He called on Opposition leaders to engage with facts rather than political theatre, adding that the ruling dispensation would be willing to apologise if it made genuine mistakes. Singh also asserted that despite two and a half decades in public life, 'no one can accuse PM Modi of indulging in corruption.' He reiterated India's newfound confidence on international platforms, noting that major powers now take India's statements seriously — a shift he attributed directly to Modi's leadership style.

The event underscores the BJP's ongoing effort to consolidate Modi's image ahead of key electoral cycles, framing his tenure as a civilisational commitment rather than a conventional political career.